The settlement will continue daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM until the VC is removed

SHILLONG, Nov 20: North-Eastern Hill University Students Union (NEHUSU) and NEHU unit of Khasi Students Union on Wednesday decided to temporarily suspend their hunger strike indefinitely following demands from several quarters.
The decision came on the 16th day of the hunger strike and following their meeting with members of the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers Association (NEHUTA) and the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers Association (MeTTA-NEHU) in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor-in-Charge Prof Nirmalendu Sacha.
Announcing the decision to teachers, students, non-teaching staff and members of civil society who were waiting outside the premises of the university’s administrative building, NEHUSU President Sandy Sohtun said they took this decision after considering the requests made by teachers and staff.
He said that though they have decided to call off their hunger strike, they will not leave the site and stage a sit-in demonstration from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day until Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla dismissed
“We will wait for the Union Ministry of Education to take action based on the report submitted by the internal committee of NEHU. If the ministry fails to meet our demand, then we can resume our hunger strike or take other measures,” warned Sohtun.
He added, “We will not remain silent but will continue to raise our voice if the report of the two-member inquiry commission (constituted by the ministry) is not in our favour.”
He said the university’s chief medical officer (CMO) in charge, Dr Carol Mukhim, had also advised them not to continue their hunger strike due to the deteriorating health of many protesting students.
Sohtun said it was not easy for him as a leader to see students participating in the hunger strike being moved to hospitals or health centers.
Meanwhile, NEHUSU General Secretary Toniho S Kharsati said the fight is not easy as he is up against the current VC who is adamant.
Stating that the VC never inquired about the health of the agitated students, Kharsati said that he (the VC) had gone “underground” and was trying to shirk his responsibilities.
“We want to make it very clear that we do not want Professor Shukla to enter the university again,” the student leader said.
He appealed to the students to continue their support and work together to help rebuild the image of NEHU.
The indefinite hunger strike was formally suspended temporarily with the felicitation of NEHUSU and NEHU unit leaders of KSU by the VC in-charge, senior lecturers, CMO in-charge and civil society members including NESO President Samuel Jyrwa.